San Leonardo 2001

This $65 bottle was a recommendation from our friends at Italian Wine Merchants. 

EXPERIENCE

The cork has a very bright, sweet aroma, but the nose on the wine couldn't be any more different. When swirled in the glass, the wine's aroma is very earthy...we're talking soil. This is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact it's often the sign of a dark, complex wine. This wine, however continues to defy our suspicions. The first taste is closer to what we got from the cork's aroma; a sweet beginning with a slightly dry and very tart finish. The tart aftertaste is so extreme that it causes you to salivate, washing away much of the wines flavor. As the bottle opened up it offered less and less, seeming almost watery on the tongue and more offensively tart on the finish.

VERDICT

SIT OUT on this wine. We didn't really enjoy this bottle, but upon doing our research it looks like this might have been a mistake on our part. According to the San Leonardo website, this vintage is rated as their highest quality; they also say you should "try to forget it in the cellar" and decant at least 2 hours before drinking. Perhaps if we had given this bottle its recommended treatment it would not have gotten our thumbs-down, perhaps we deserve a thumbs-down, and perhaps we should start doing our research before we drink? hmmm....

FACTS

This IGT blend is made up of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Merlot. According to their website, the exact percentages are determined barrel by barrel through taste tests. The wine is aged at least 2 years in small oak barrels. The vineyard is located near the Southwestern border of the Trentino-Alto Adige region of Italy.